FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEBREVARD COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATIONMonday, March 8, 2010

TORNADOS SET FOR NCAA SOUTHEAST REGIONAL QUARTERFINAL AGAINST AUGUSTA STATE

Whitson and Roper look to lead the Tornados into the NCAA tournament

Brevard, N.C. - The Brevard College Tornados men’s basketball team continues postseason play on Saturday, March 13th, at Christenberry Fieldhouse in Augusta, Ga. after winning the 2010 Food Lion SAC tournament to earn the conference’s automatic qualifying bid.

The Tornados (21-9) achieved the bid by defeating Wingate on March 3rd, then surviving a pair of close games at Catawba Valley Community College on March 7th and March 8th against Carson-Newman and Catawba to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in Brevard College history.

The Tornados received the No. 8 seed in the Southeast Region and draw top-seed and regional host Augusta State University (26-3) in the first round.

This will be the first matchup between both teams.

The Tornados enter the game having won four of their past five contests, led by SAC Tournament MVP Jonathan Whitson. Whitson, a 6-7 forward from Clyde, N.C., is second on the team at 17.8 points per game and leads the way averaging 8.2 rebounds per contest on his way to holding the Brevard career highs in both scoring and rebounding, breaking the 2,000 point mark on Sunday against Catawba in his 20 point, 12 rebound effort. For his career, Whitson has 2,013 points and 933 rebounds.

Joining Whitson on the All-Tournament team was junior guard Josh Roper who averaged 25.7 points per game in the tournament and is Brevard’s leading scorer on the year, having set school records in scoring, assists, field goals made and field goals attempted in his first season as a Tornado.

Seniors Sam Carlisle, Nathan Whitmire and Darin Dellinger have also played key roles in the Tornados postseason run with Whitmire scoring 20 points in the win over Carson-Newman, while Dellinger added 18 points and Carlisle had 16 in the win over Catawba in the championship.

Augusta State reached the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid despite falling to Montevallo in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals, but the Jaguars, who possessed the No. 1 spot in the last regular season National Association Basketball Coaches poll, have proven to be a tough nut to crack at home, possessing a perfect 15-0 record in Christenberry Fieldhouse this season.

Led by a trio of First Team All-Peach Belt performers, including the 2009-2010 Peach Belt Player of the Year in Ben Madgen, the Jaguars reach their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance and their sixth trip to the Big Dance in the past 10 seasons.

All tickets for the 2010 NCAA Southeast Regional are $10 and are available for purchase online at the official website of ASU Athletics -- www.aug.edu/athletics -- and will be available for purchase at the Christenberry Fieldhouse box office beginning Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.